Bathtub having sliding access door for the disabled and elderly

ABSTRACT

A bathtub for the disabled or elderly includes a tub ( 10 ) having an enclosure defined by at least one sidewall ( 10   a ), where the sidewall ( 10   a ) has a doorway therein providing access from an external side of the sidewall ( 10   a ), external to the enclosure, into the enclosure. A generally horizontal and vertically spaced apart pair of elongate guides ( 74, 82 ) are provided in the sidewall ( 10   a ). A door is slidably mounted to the guides ( 74, 82 ) on at least one pivotable linkage arm ( 70, 78 ). The pivotable linkage arm ( 70, 78 ) is pivotally mounted to both the door and at least one of the guides, and is adapted for generally horizontal translation along the sidewall ( 10   a ), in cooperation with the guides ( 74, 82 ), between a closed position wherein the door is releasably lockably mounted in watertight sealed engagement within the doorway, and an open position wherein the door is clear of the aperture and substantially parallel to the sidewall ( 10   a ). A releasable latch ( 40, 48 ) and cooperating latch actuator ( 22 ) is provided for releasably latching engagement of the door in the watertight scaled engagement in the doorway and for releasing the door from such engagement upon actuation of the latch actuator ( 22 ) into a release position by a user in the enclosure. A latch release disabling means ( 52, 54, 56, 85, 60 ) is provided for disabling the latch actuator ( 22 ) when a fluid level in the enclosure is higher than a threshold level below a lowermost sill of the doorway.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of bathtubs and in particular abathtub having a door providing improved access for the disabled andelderly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that people with limited mobility such as disabled andelderly often require assistance to use a conventional bathtub in orderto properly bathe because their limited mobility inhibits them fromsafely lowering themselves or lifting themselves out of a conventionalbathtub.

To address such a need, applicant is aware of attempts in the prior artto provide bath enclosures with access doors. For example, applicant isaware of U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,769 which issued to Cowley for a Bath onJan. 28, 1969, wherein Cowley discloses the use of a guillotine styledoor to provide access for infirm persons to a bathtub.

Applicant is also aware of United Kingdom Patent Specification Number1,213,358 published Nov. 25, 1970 for The Improvements In Or Relating ToBaths of Preston which discloses use of a sliding door to close anaperture in a bath, where the door slides horizontally on a guide uponthe operation of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder and piston.

Applicant is also aware of European Patent Application Number 0 913 115which was published May 6, 1999 for The Bath With A Side Access OpeningEquipped With A Watertight Flap of Landi et al. which discloses a bathequipped with either a door hinged horizontally or vertically or ahorizontally or vertically sliding door.

Applicant is further aware of United Kingdom Patent Application No. 2334 438 published Aug. 25, 1999 for The Circular Sliding Door For ABathtub of Nailer which discloses the use of a bathtub having a circularsliding door. The door slides sideways in both directions and movesforward and backward on rollers mounted to top and bottom of the door.The rollers run on runners which are fixed to panels above and below therollers, the roller wheels interlocking with the runners. Hydraulicactuators hold the door when closed against a door seal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In summary, the bathtub of the present invention includes a tub havingan enclosure defined by at least one sidewall, where the sidewall has adoorway therein providing access from an external side of the sidewall,external to the enclosure, into the enclosure. At least one generallyhorizontal elongate guide, for example a vertically spaced apart pair ofelongate guides are provided in the sidewall. A door is slidably mountedto the guide or guides on a plurality of pivotable linkage arms. Thepivotable linkage arms are pivotally mounted to both the door and atleast one of the guides, and is adapted for generally horizontaltranslation along the sidewall, in cooperation with the guide or guides,between a closed position wherein the door is releasably lockablymounted in watertight sealed engagement within the doorway, and an openposition wherein the door is clear of the aperture and substantiallyparallel to the sidewall.

A releasable latch and a cooperating latch actuator is provided forreleasable latching engagement of the door in the watertight sealedengagement in the doorway and for releasing the door from suchengagement upon actuation of the latch actuator into a release positionby a user in the enclosure. A latch release disabling means is providedfor disabling the latch actuator when a fluid level in the enclosure ishigher than a threshold level below a lowermost sill of the doorway.

In one embodiment not intended to be limiting, when the door is in theclosed position, the pivotable linkage arms are generally parallel tothe sidewall and, when the door is in the open position, the pivotablelinkage arms are generally non-parallel, for example perpendicular tothe sidewall. The pivotable linkage arms may include a pair ofvertically spaced apart linkage arms, corresponding to the pair ofelongate guides, mounted at a leading side edge of the door, where theleading side edge of the door corresponds to the side of the doorclosest to the guides when the door is in the closed position. Thepivotable linkage arms may include a third linkage arm mounted to atrailing side edge of the door opposite the leading edge of the door.

The guides may be a pair of elongate parallel rails each having aslidable collar mounted thereon, in which case the pivotable linkagearms may be a pair of linkage arms each pivotally mounted to one of theslidable collars. The guides may include at least one channel in thesidewall, in which case a follower is provided for sliding along thechannel mounted to a corresponding pivotable linkage arm.

In the open position, the door may be adjacent to either the externalside of the sidewall or to an enclosure side of the sidewall opposite tothe external side of the sidewall.

The latch may include at least one resiliently biased latch member, suchas a bolt, which is resiliently urged into latched engagement with alatch member receiver so as to releasably engage the door with an edgeof the doorway upon closing of the door into the closed position withoutactuation of the latch actuator by the user. In one embodiment the atleast one resiliently biased latch member may include a conventionalspring-loaded latch-bolt mounted in the door, in which case the latchmember receiver is a bolt-receiving aperture in a striker plate in theedge of the doorway, the distal end of the latch-bolt having awedge-shaped inclined surface so that as the protruding distal end ofthe latch-bolt strikes the striker plate, the bolt retracts into thedoor against the return biasing force of the spring. Once the bolt isaligned with the aperture in the striker plate, the spring shoots theend into the aperture.

The latch actuator may be a lever which at one end protrudes from thedoor for access by the user in the enclosure, and which at its oppositeend is oscillatably mounted to the door. The lever is pivotally mountedto at least one latch drive arm mounted within the door and to thereleasable latch for actuation of the latch into, and out of, thereleasable latching engagement with the edge of the doorway. In oneembodiment the releasable latch may be a plurality of latches mounted onopposite sides of the door. The at least one latch drive arminterconnects the plurality of latches with the lever for simultaneousactuation of the plurality of latches by oscillatable rotation of thelever relative to the door. The lever may protrude from an upper edge ofthe door and the plurality of latches may be mounted at four oppositecorners of the door. The plurality of latches may be oriented so thatactuation of the lever translates the latch members horizontally.

In one embodiment the latch release disabling means may be a floatactuated linkage which includes a float mounted on a lever arm within afluid reservoir. The float and the reservoir may be mounted in thesidewall. The reservoir is in fluid communication with tub enclosure sothat a fluid level in the enclosure results in a corresponding fluidlevel in the reservoir. The lever arm cooperates with a drive linkage sothat a fluid level in the reservoir above the threshold level actuatesthe drive linkage so as to cause a distal end of the drive linkage tointerlock with a drive arm of the latch drive arm linkage in the door.

The lever may be generally vertical. The at least one latch drive armmay include a horizontal drive arm rotatably mounted to the leverbetween opposite ends of the horizontal drive arm, where the oppositeends of the horizontal drive arm actuate two oppositely disposed latchesof the plurality of latches. A vertical drive arm may be provided in thedoor, linked at one end to the horizontal drive arm for verticaltranslation of the vertical drive arm simultaneously with horizontaltranslation of the horizontal drive arm, and linked at an opposite endto a third latch. In this embodiment the distal end of the drive linkagemay engage the vertical drive arm to prevent the vertical translation ofthat drive arm upon the float reaching the threshold level.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is, in a front, right side perspective view, a bathtubincorporating the access door of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is the view of FIG. 1 with the access door cover shown in dottedoutline and the bathtub shown in dotted outline.

FIG. 3 is, in enlarged rear, left side perspective view, the access doorof FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is, in enlarged and partially cut away view, the access door andlocking mechanism of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is the door of FIG. 4 in the open position.

FIG. 6 is, in front elevation view, an alternative embodiment of theaccess door of the present invention.

FIG. 6 a is a sectional view, partially cut away, through a sidewall ofthe bathtub showing the mating of a pivot arm with a channel insert inthe bathtub wall.

FIG. 6 b is, in plan view, one of the pivot arms and roller wheels ofFIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is, in bottom view, the door and door guide of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is, in partially cut away bottom view, the access door of FIG. 6mounted to a door guide channel formed below the bathtub.

FIG. 9 is, in plan view, a third embodiment of the bathtub of thepresent invention having a sliding access door, showing the door closed.

FIG. 10 is, in side elevation view, the bathtub and sliding access doorof FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is, in plan view, the bathtub and sliding access door of FIG. 9showing the door in its opened position.

FIG. 12 is, in side elevation view, the bathtub and sliding access doorof FIG. 11.

FIGS. 13 a and 13 b are, respectively in sectional view along line 13—13and side elevation view, the sliding door guide of the access door ofFIG. 10.

FIGS. 14 a and 14 b are, respectively in side elevation view and planview, the upper door pivot arm of the sliding access door of FIG. 9.

FIGS. 15 a and 15 b are, respectively in plan view and side elevationview, the lower door pivot arms of the access door of FIG. 9.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged partially sectioned view of the roller mountingof the end of the lower door pivot arm within the channel insert withinthe tub side wall of FIG. 10.

FIGS. 17 a and 17 b are, in enlarged partially cut away view and insection view respectively, the hand rail of FIG. 12.

FIGS. 18 a and 18 b are, respectively, a partially cutaway plan view anda partially cut away front elevation view of the door of FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This description is to be read in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures in which corresponding reference numbers in each view representcorresponding parts.

As seen in FIG. 1, bathtub 10 is elevated, mounted on a frame orpedestal 12 so that a door 14 mounted to one side wall 10 a of thebathtub is elevated. Sidewall 10 a and the opposite sidewall 10 b, andthe end walls 10 c and 10 d define a bathtub enclosure. Bathtub 10 maybe elevated so that the side door opening or doorway occupied by door 14when in its closed position is level with a typical chair seatelevation. For example, the floor of bathtub 10 may be elevated tocorrespond to a typical wheelchair height of 17.5 inches, although thisis not intended to be limiting. Pedestal 12 may be used for storage andprovides for ease of access for maintenance, etc. The bathtub andpedestal may be sized to replace an existing conventional bathtub.

As better seen in FIGS. 2–5, wherein the cover 16 of door 14 is eitherremoved or shown in dotted outline, the cover 16 encloses a lockactuating mechanism 20. In particular, lock actuating mechanism 20includes an operating lever 22 protruding upwardly from the door andhaving a handle 24 cantilevered towards the bathtub enclosure at anupper end of the lever. Lever 22 is oscillatably pivotally mounted, forexample by means of shaft 26, to mounting or backing plate 28 rigidlymounted to an interior surface of door cover 16.

Crank arm 30 is also mounted on shaft 26 and may be rigidly mounted tolever 22, for example by means of collar 32, so that rotation of lever22 in direction A about shaft 26 simultaneously correspondingly rotatescrank arm 30 to thereby translate cross arm 34 in direction B. Cross arm34 acts as a latch drive arm, in this embodiment driving bell crankmembers 36, whereby rotation of lever 22 about shaft 26 unlatches fourspring-loaded door latches. In particular, translation of cross arm 34in direction B rotates upper bell crank members 36 about axes ofrotation C to thereby actuate, that is, retract upper spring-loaded doorlatch bolts or members 38 into conventional door latch mechanisms 40.Such rotation of upper bell crank members 36 simultaneously drives apair of corresponding connecting rods 42 in direction D so as tosimultaneously rotate lower bell crank members 44 about axes of rotationE. Thus, rods 42 also act as latch drive arms, rotating lower bell crankmembers 44 to thereby retracts lower spring-loaded door latch bolts ormembers 46 into door latch mechanisms 48. Door latch mechanisms 40 and48 and their respective latch members 38 and 46 form releasable latches,and are actuated by a latch actuator, in this case lever 22, arms 30,34, rods 42, and bell cranks 36, 44.

Door latch members 38 and 46 are thus simultaneously retracted byoperation of lever 22 so as to retract the door latch members inwardlyof the door in direction F as seen in FIG. 4 thereby retracting the doorlatch members from engagement in correspondingly sized apertures in alatch member receiver such as plates 50 mounted to the opposed facingsurfaces of the door opening in bathtub sidewall 10 a. The spring-loadeddoor latch members automatically engage or re-engage the apertures inplates 50 under the resilient return-biased urging of their springmechanisms so as to lock door 16 in watertight sealed engagement withinthe door opening of sidewall 10 a.

What follows is a description of one embodiment of a release disablingmeans for disabling the latch actuator. A water reservoir 52 is mountedwithin sidewall 10 a. Reservoir 52 is in fluid communication with theinside of bathtub 10 that as bathtub 10 is filled with water, so toowater fills reservoir 52 to a corresponding level until reservoir 52 isfull. In FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, reservoir 52 is shown partially cut away sothat internal float 54 may be seen. As the water lever rises withinreservoir 52 corresponding to the level of water with bathtub 10, float54 rises with the water level in the reservoir so as to drive upwardlyin direction G end 56 a of a float actuated linkage such as bell crank56. Bell crank 56 is rotatably mounted to a supporting member 58 forpivoting rotation in direction H so that actuation of end 56 a indirection G by the urging of a rising float 54 in reservoir 52 rotatesthe bell crank. Rotation of the bell crank drives a pin 60 in directionI through a corresponding aperture in plate 50 and into matingengagement with an apertured or channelled plate 62 rigidly mounted toone of the connecting rods 42. With pin 60 so mated the reverseactuation of lock actuating mechanism 20 is prevented. Thus, when wateris in the bathtub, the mating of pin 60 in plate 62 prevents theunlocking of door 14 which might otherwise be inadvertently unlocked bya user operating lever 22 resulting in flooding of the bathroom.

When water is not present in bathtub 10, so that the lowering of float54 in reservoir 52 has resulted in the retraction of pin 60 from lockingengagement within plate 62, a user may then grasp handle 24 and operatelever 22 so as to retract latch members 38 and 46 from their lockingengagement in plates 50. This then unlocks door 14 from its lockedengagement within the door opening of sidewall 10 a allowing the door tobe opened.

Door 14 is opened once the door latches are released by a user pushingthe door outwardly of the bathtub from the door's co-planar relationwith sidewall 10 a. A user pushing door 14 outwardly in direction J asseen in FIG. 1 unseats the door from the door's watertight seals 64mounted circumferentially around the inner surface of the door openingcircumferential lip 66.

Such outward translation of door 14 in direction J also correspondinglyoutwardly translates door supporting plate 68. Plate 68 supports door14. A pair of pivot arms 70 are pivotally mounted at first ends of thepivot arms to door supporting plate 68 and at opposite second ends ofthe pivot arms to sliding sleeves or collars 72. Sliding collars 72 arefree to slide in direction K along a linear rail or rod 74 which servesas an elongate guide mounted recessed into channel 76 in sidewall 10 a.Similarly, pivot arm 78 is pivotally mounted at its first end to frame18, or otherwise to door 14, and at its opposite second end to sleeve orcollar slide 80. Collar slide 80 is slidably mounted on a rail or rod82. Rod 82 is an elongate guide mounted parallel to, and verticallyspaced from, rod 74 within channel 84 of sidewalls 10 a. Thus,translation of door 14 in direction J upon opening of the door rotateslower pivot arms 70 in direction L and upper pivot arm 78 in direction Mfrom their closed position generally parallel to sidewall 10 a therebyswinging door 14 outwardly of rods 74 and 82 while maintaining door 14parallel to the plane containing rods 74 and 82. Once door 14 is swungclear of the door opening in sidewall 10 a, the door may be translatedby sliding the door in direction N as seen in FIG. 1 along the length ofrods 74 and 82 to thereby completely open the door opening as seen inFIG. 5 for access by a user.

Door 14 is closed and locked by reversing the opening procedure, withthe exception that lever 22 does not have to be operated to re-latch thedoor latching members in the apertures in plates 50, as thespring-loading of the members automatically seats the members in theapertures.

In an alternative embodiment such as seen in FIGS. 6–8, door 14 ismounted on a pair of parallel vertically spaced apart pivot arms 86 at afirst end of the door, and on a door guide 88 mounted towards theopposite second end of the door so as to depend downwardly from door 14.In this embodiment, channels 76 and 84 in sidewall 10 a are shaped toreceive therein, along the length of the channels, the distal ends ofpivot arms 86 and their corresponding rotatably mounted roller wheels90. As better seen in FIG. 6 a, the channels may be formed by the use ofchannel inserts 92 mounted into sidewall 10 a. Pivot arms 86 arepivotally mounted to door 14 so that, once locking mechanism 20 isdisengaged, as before, door 14 may be translated outwardly of the tub indirection J so as to clear the first end of the door from the dooropening in sidewall 10 a so as to allow translation of the door alongthe channels in direction N.

As seen in FIG. 7, door guide 88 extends rigidly cantilevered outwardlyfrom the bottom of door 14. Similar to pivot arms 86, it too has aroller wheel 90′ rotatably mounted at its distal end. As seen in FIG. 8,roller wheel 90′ mates in door guide track or channel 94 formed in asupport (not shown) mounted below the lower surface of bathtub 10.Channel 94 has an arcuate or curved end 94 a at an end of channel 94opposite to channels 76 and 84. Thus as door 14 is being closed by beingtranslated in a direction opposite to direction N, roller wheel 90′ ondoor guide 88 follows the curved end 94 a of channel 94 to draw door 14into the door opening in sidewall 10 a in a direction opposite todirection J. The pivoting of pivot arms 86 relative to channels 76 and84 and relative to door 14 allow the door to be drawn into the dooropening in sidewall 10 a by the operation of roller wheels 90′ followingcurved end 94 a of channel 94. Roller wheel 90′ reaching the end, ornear to the end of curved end 94 a of channel 94 coincides with door 14seating into the door opening of sidewall 10 a so that locking mechanism20 may be actuated to lock the door in its closed position.

In a third embodiment of the present invention, as seen in FIGS. 9 and10 which show a bathtub with door 100 closed, and as seen in FIGS. 11and 12 which show the bathtub with door 100 in the open position, thedoor may pivot on upper and lower door pivot arms 102 and 104respectively. Door 100 opens to the inside, that is, into the enclosureof bathtub 106 so as to slidably translate between the closed positionof FIGS. 9 and 10 wherein the outwardly flared circumferential lip 108of door 100 seats against door opening perimeter lip 110 so as to make awatertight seal, and the open position of FIGS. 11 and 12 wherein door100 has been slid into the interior of bathtub 106 into a positionparallel with side wall 106 a.

As may be seen in FIG. 10 by the partial cutting away of side wall 106a, one end of lower door pivot arm 104 is rotatably mounted to a firstend of door 100, and the other end of the lower door pivot arm isslidably mounted within a stainless steel channel 112 mounted into theinner wall of side wall 106 a. Upper door pivot arm 102, better seen inFIGS. 14 a and 14 b, is mounted generally parallel to lower door pivotarm 104 better seen in FIGS. 15 a and 15 b. One end of the upper doorpivot arm 102 is rotatably mounted to the first end of door 100, and theopposite end of upper door pivot arm 102 rotatably mounted to a slidingcollar such as sliding door guide 114 better seen in FIGS. 13 a and 13b. Guide 114 is slidably mounted onto hand rail 116 better seen in FIGS.17 a and 17 b. Hand rail 116 is rigidly mounted to the upper edge ofside wall 106 a. A low friction line 114 a of UHMW plastic and the useof stainless steel or UHMW plastic rollers 114 b facilitates ease ofsliding, rollers 114 b constrained in grooved profiles 116 a on rail116. Thus, as door 100 slidably translates between its open and closedpositions, the door is free to travel horizontally along an arcuatetrajectory such as arcuate trajectory 118 as seen in FIG. 11 by thepivoting action of the door pivot arms which support the door inrelation to the side wall of the tub.

As also seen in FIGS. 18 a and 18 b, when in its closed position, door100 may be releasably locked or latched into place by the operation oflatch pins 120 translating horizontally outwardly in directions G so asto journal the distal ends of the latch pins in correspondingly sizedholes in the opposed facing sides of lip 110 seen in FIGS. 9–12. Latchpins 120 are translated outwardly in directions G and are retracted inopposite directions by the rotation of lever 122 in direction H. Lever122 has a handle, grip or knob 123 at its free end. With door 100 seatedagainst lip 110, lever 122 may be rotated in direction H so as to lockdoor 100 within the side wall of the tub by the actuation of latch pins120 in directions G. By operation of lever 122 in a reversed direction,the ends of latch pins 120 may be retracted, freeing door 100 foropening. In a further alternative embodiment, door 100, with itscorresponding pivot arms, sliding door guide, and latch pin arrangement,could be made to slide to the outside of side wall 106 a.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of theforegoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible inthe practice of this invention without departing from the spirit orscope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to beconstrued in accordance with the substance defined by the followingclaims.

1. A bathtub for the disabled or elderly comprising: a tub having anenclosure defined by at least one sidewall, said sidewall having adoorway therein providing access from an external side of said sidewall,external to said enclosure, into said enclosure, a generally horizontalvertically spaced apart pair of elongate guides in said sidewall, a doorslidably mounted to said guides on a plurality of pivotable linkage armspivotally mounted to both said door and at least one of said guides forgenerally horizontal translation along said sidewall between a closedposition wherein said door is releasably lockably mounted in watertightsealed engagement within said doorway, and an open position clear ofsaid aperture and substantially parallel to said sidewall, a releasablelatch and cooperating latch actuator for releasable latching engagementof said door in said watertight sealed engagement in said doorway andfor releasing said door from such engagement upon actuation of saidlatch actuator into a release position by a user in said enclosure,wherein, when said door is in said closed position, said plurality ofpivotable linkage arms are generally parallel to said sidewall and, whensaid door is in said open position, said plurality of pivotable linkagearms are generally non-parallel to said sidewall.
 2. The bathtub ofclaim 1 further comprising a latch release disabling means for disablingsaid latch actuator when a fluid level in said enclosure is higher thana threshold level below a lowermost sill of said doorway.
 3. The bathtubof claim 1 wherein when said plurality of pivotable linkage arms aregenerally non-parallel to said sidewall, said plurality of pivotablelinkage arms are generally perpendicular to said sidewall.
 4. Thebathtub of claim 1 wherein said plurality of pivotable linkage armsincludes a pair of vertically spaced apart linkage arms, correspondingto said pair of elongate guides, mounted at a leading side edge of saiddoor, wherein said leading side edge corresponds to the side of saiddoor closest to said guides when said door is in said closed position.5. The bathtub of claim 4 wherein said plurality of pivotable linkagearms includes a third linkage arm mounted to a trailing side edge ofsaid door opposite said leading edge.
 6. The bathtub of claim 4 whereinsaid guides are a pair of elongate parallel rails each having a slidablecollar mounted thereon, and said plurality of pivotable linkage arms isa pair of linkage arms each pivotally mounted to one of said slidablecollars.
 7. The bathtub of claim 1 wherein said guides include at leastone channel in said sidewall, and wherein a follower for sliding alongsaid channel is mounted to a corresponding one of said plurality ofpivotable linkage arms.
 8. The bathtub of claim 1 wherein, in said openposition, said door is adjacent said external side of said sidewall. 9.The bathtub of claim 1 wherein in said open position, said door isadjacent an enclosure side of said sidewall opposite said external sideof said sidewall.
 10. The bathtub of claim 1 wherein said latch actuatoris a lever which at one end protrudes from said door for access by theuser in said enclosure, and which at its opposite end is oscillatablymounted to said door, wherein said lever is pivotally mounted to atleast one latch drive arm mounted within said door and to saidreleasable latch for actuation of said latch into, and out of, saidreleasable latching engagement, and wherein said releasable latch is aplurality of latches mounted on opposite sides of said door and whereinsaid at least one latch drive arm interconnects said plurality oflatches with said lever for simultaneous actuation of said plurality oflatches by rotation of said lever relative to said door.
 11. The bathtubof claim 10 wherein said lever protrudes from an upper edge of said doorand wherein said plurality of latches are mounted at four oppositecorners of said door.
 12. The bathtub of claim 11 wherein said pluralityof latches are oriented so that actuation of said lever translates saidlatch members of said plurality of latches horizontally.
 13. The bathtubof claim 12 wherein said latch release disabling means is a floatactuated linkage including a float mounted on a lever arm within a fluidreservoir, wherein said reservoir is in fluid communication withenclosure so that a fluid level in said enclosure results in acorresponding fluid level in said reservoir, said lever arm cooperatingwith a drive linkage so that a fluid level in said reservoir above saidthreshold level actuates said drive linkage so as to cause a distal endof said drive linkage to interlock with a drive arm of said at least onelatch drive arm.
 14. The bathtub of claim 13 wherein said lever isgenerally vertical and wherein said at least one latch drive armincludes a horizontal drive arm rotatably mounted to said lever betweenopposite ends of said horizontal drive arm, said opposite ends of saidhorizontal drive arm actuating two oppositely disposed latches of saidplurality of latches.
 15. The bathtub of claim 14 wherein a verticaldrive arm in said door is linked at one end to said horizontal drive armfor vertical translation of said vertical drive arm simultaneously withhorizontal translation of said horizontal drive arm, and linked at anopposite end to a third latch of said plurality of latches.
 16. Thebathtub of claim 15 wherein said distal end of said drive linkageengages said vertical drive arm to prevent said vertical translationupon said float reaching said threshold level.
 17. The bathtub of claim16 wherein said float and said reservoir are mounted in said sidewall.